Just a simple parish priest who believes that we are all one in Christ whatever race, ethnicity, class, gender or orientation. An advocate for the poor, the middle class, that the working people. It is time for us to rise up and fight back against the greed of the rich the super rich and the multi-nationals who seek to rob the people of our place in the sun

Monday, April 02, 2012

An American Manifesto, Revised, Holy Week 2012

THE KING’S BEACH STATEMENT

by

PAUL B. BRESNAHAN

Revised, Holy Week 2012

A Response to Class Warfare being waged against the 99%

I wrote this statement last Spring as I looked down the long barrel of class warfare being waged against us. I'm in this for the long haul. We need to be clear about where we stand. What I list below is a reasonable set of demands. What is not reasonable is that we should carry the rich on our backs enduring heavy unemployment, working for $5 an hour, with no health insurance, no vacation, and then having them take our homes away and giving our jobs away and taking our jobs away.

We may or may not do it this time, but momentum is building. Eventually we, poor, working class, middle class, first responders, teachers, etc. will all see that we are all on the same side.

The people shall arise from slumber!

Preamble:

From Cairo to Wisconsin the people have taken to the streets to demand justice. The grinding poverty under which too many of us are living has caused enough pain!We labor for wages that cannot support a family, while the super-rich are giving themselves billions in tax cuts and immoral bonuses. The corporate machine lays us off, and ships our jobs overseas. Now they are taking aim at government jobs and collective bargaining. They want to take away a hard won health care victory, they want to take away our homes, they want to take away our social security, and cut medicare and medicaid all for the sake of lower taxes for the rich. They have no idea of the pain they inflict upon the poor and the worker and now even on the middle class.

It is time for us to gather at every town and city hall across the country and I dream of a day when by the millions we gather at the Lincoln Memorial and stand our ground until our just demands are met.

HERE IS WHAT WE DEMAND!

1. Jobs and Job Security

We demand full employment. Unemployment Bureau is a misnomer. It should be THE EMPLOYMENT BUREAU. Unemployment insurance should then be EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE. The government shall be the employer of last resort.

We demand that all teachers, police, fire and EMT’s be rehired and that we beefup education and public safety. It is a matter of national security! We cannot afford not to do this at the very least.

THERE SHALL BE UNION REPRESENTATION IN ALL WORKPLACES. The workers shall elect representatives from the workforce who will negotiate on behalf of the worker. THAT'S CALLED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.

No more layoffs or terminations without a review of elected workforce representation. Grievances shall be brought to the same representatives for mediation and negotiation. WE INSIST ON UNION PROTECTION FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER.

Figure out how to bring our jobs home again. We want to buy American made products again.

2. Wages

We demand an immediate doubling of the minimum wage.

We demand an immediate increase of 20% of all wages under $100,000. You can figure out how to pay for that but you can begin with a super-tax on the super-rich.

And we want another 20% bonus for our work too on November so we can spend it on Black Friday and pump up the economy. They’ve been giving themselves billions in bonuses while we were losing our jobs and suffering from cutbacks, and losing our homes. You owe us!

3. Universal Health Care

We have fought long and hard for healthcare. It is unconscionable that in this country anyone should be deprived of good health care. Now you want to take away this modest advance on behalf of millions of folk in this nation! NO! We demand healthcare. We’re willing to negotiate how to pay for it. But we demand it and we demand it now. Hands off heath care!

4. Two Year Moratorium on Foreclosures

You made a huge mess and we bailed you out (Banks & Mortgage Companies, Finance Institutions.) Now its your turn to bail us out. No more foreclosures for two years while we secure the American worker with good jobs and good pay. Then you better be ready to cut a deal, or its back to the streets!

5. Three Weeks Paid Vacation

You keep preaching to us about family values. I’ll tell you about family values. We want a minimum of three weeks paid vacation, two weeks annual allowance for illness, and five personal days a year. We cannot afford what you have. The least you can do for us is give us time with those we love. Then, as a bonus we'll take four weeks after five years working for you.

6. Quit picking on Gay Folks! Quit the bullying! Quit the threats on Obama and the Liberals! IN CASE YOU HADN’T NOTICED THE GREAT AMERICAN EAGLE CANNOT FLY WITHOUT BOTH WINGS. YOU NEED US AND WE NEED YOU. WE WON’T FIGURE THIS OUT UNLESS WE DO THIS TOGETHER.

Paul Bresnahan is a semi-retired Episcopal Priest on assignment in Douglassville, PA at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church.

Followers

Follow by Email

About Me

Just a simple parish priest, outspoken advocate for poor, working and middle class folk. It is time for the Church and the culture around it to grow up and face facts: We are all in Christ irrespective of orientation, gender, race or ethnicity. All of humanity is ONE!